In hindsight, what was Karan Higdon supposed to say?
When asked ahead of the Michigan-Ohio State game in November if he'd echo Jim Harbaugh from 1986 and guarantee a victory, Higdon didn't have much of a choice. So he said he would.
"I believe firmly in my brothers and this team and this coaching staff. And as a captain, I'll take that stand. Why not?" Higdon said at the time.
A few days later, he was forced to eat his words in a 62-39 loss.
Speaking to reporters at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. on Tuesday for the first time since his pseudo guarantee, Higdon explained his thinking.
"It was a tough question -- tough situation. Either way, it was a lose-lose. You don't expect someone to try and pinpoint you, or put you in a corner like that," Higdon said, via MLive.com.
In Higdon's mind, the alternative was deflecting the question -- and surely coming off as unsure of Michigan's chances.
"I think I could have handled it differently as well. I could have just knocked off the question or avoided the question and took criticism for that. Either way, I would have received criticism," he said. "It is what it is."
Michigan finished the year 10-3, but with lots of unfinished business. It's for that reason Higdon declined to call it a successful season.
"We didn't win the championship and we didn't beat Ohio State," he said.
Higdon became the subject of more controversy when he chose to sit out the Peach Bowl versus Florida. His decision only looked worse when Michigan lost in a 41-15 rout. But Higdon said it was the best move for his NFL future and that his teammates respected that.
As for Harbaugh?
"That's not his favorite decision," Higdon said, via MLive. "He has a job as a head coach to win and wants all of these guys to help him win. He wasn't happy about it, but he respected it.
"At the end of the day, he can't grab us and force us to get out on the field. But I think he has enough respect for us as players and the contributions we've had to the team, he'll respect it."
Higdon rushed for 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named first-team All-Big Ten in 2018. He's projected as a mid-round pick in the NFL Draft.
